


In The Mirror

by AmberTheSinfulClover



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Horror, M/M, Magic, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-09 01:56:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12266535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberTheSinfulClover/pseuds/AmberTheSinfulClover
Summary: Keith is an orphan that has gone through home after home for years now. Now his newest home is with the Shirogane family.  With two moms, a mysterious older brother, and a house filled with antiques, Keith struggles to adjust. It seems the icing on the cake however, is the strange mirror in his room. He always seems to feel like when he looks into the mirror, someone else is looking back at him. Some nights he feels like he can hear someone trying to talk to him through the mirror. Will Keith be able to adjust to his new family and deal with the freaky mirror?





	1. Cursed

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaborative work with a user I met on the Voltron Amino app called Sassagesaur. Sass originally came up with the concept of the spoopy mirror and made some art for it, but said they didn't feel confident enough in writing the story on their own. (enter me) Thus we both are working together on developing the plot and lore behind the story. Hope you enjoy it!

While many had to travel through these woods in order to reach their relatives homes or distant trade locations very few would ever take the briar path, especially during a storm even if it was only just starting. The briar path was said to be cursed by a witch so that all who travel down it shall be lost and never heard from again, assuredly suffering some horrible fate. Nyma knew of these legends and that was the very reason why she took the dangerous path.

Nyma was a thief. She would take many exotic goods from poor unsuspecting souls and sell them to the highest bidder. That is what drew her down the briar path, for what could be more exotic than a witches goods? Even with the thorns snagging and tearing at her robes, even as the path became difficult to spot under the shrubs and vines, even with the rain steadily pattering on her hood and cloak, and even as her lantern flickered threatening to snuff out entirely, she continued onward down the road.

A witch could make a potion to have someone fall in love with you, a medallion that kept you young so long as you wore it, a broom with which you could fly across the sky, a book of spells with which to curse your enemies, a compass that would lead you to treasures, so many possibilities ran through Nyma’s head. How much would someone pay for one of those things? A fortune most likely if she could find the right buyer. Even if she found just one of those many enchanted objects, she knew she could be set for life. 

Though there was always the danger of the witch. She could be cursed or killed. The witch may call down her wolves to devour her, or perhaps change her into a frog and use her in some sort of concoction, she may even curse Nyma to wander blinded and starving for all eternity. It was for those very reasons why she was determined not to be caught.

The frosty wind rushed by her suddenly, the sound resembling the howls of those imaginary wolves running through her mind and the chill bring forth a sensation like being curse, and so Nyma began to walk a little faster. The soft crunch of the leaves seemed to slowly pull her back into reality as she was reminded she was not in danger yet. There was no witch and there were no wolves.

Then she could see it, a shanty cottage in a miniature valley. There was a tiny garden beside it, though it lay completely barren aside from a few pumpkins, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and cabbage, however they did not seem very tasty despite the hunger gnawing at Nyma as she noticed some parasites crawling over the fruit which appeared to be decaying. Disgusted and gradually losing her appetite the longer she stared at the food, she instead turned to the cottage walking up the creaking steps onto the porch. Glancing through the window, she found she could not see much through the dust and darkness. She could not hear anyone, or see a light or smoke from the chimney, so she assumed she was alone.

With a bit of work, though not as much as she usually had to put in, she managed to break the lock. The door creaked and groaned as it slowly slid open, allowing Nyma into the dilapidated house. Without the wind buffering it, her lanter managed to shine brighter, casting some light on her surroundings.

The house was a mess, pages of books and writing and odd drawings lay scattered on the floor, there were shelves lined with jars of who knows what and odd looking liquids, a bed lay by the wall next to the chimney which was covered in cobwebs, there were a few boxes lined up along the wall a few of which looked like they may be jewelry or treasure boxes, and in the center of the room sat a giant black cauldron.

Nyma began to think it might be a little harder than she thought to tell what was useful magic stuff and what was random crazy lady stuff. Even so, she took her first few hesitant steps into the home closing the door behind her. She had no idea how long it would be until the witch returned, so she took her bag off her shoulders and began to search through the witches stuff, taking anything that seemed remotely valuable or like it held some strong magic.

As she searched the storm began to finally come down full force outside. Thunder cracked loudly and ominously almost as if in warning, the rain tapped on the glass and rooftop almost sounding like thousands of rats scurrying across the rafters, and the wind began to howl louder and louder. It only served to drive Nyma on faster as she began to simply put whatever would fit into her bag as she decided to sort out the junk later. As she finished, she closed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder and turning to leave, then she saw it, a beautiful mirror.

The mirror was attached to the back of the door, so she had not seen it before, but there it was in all it’s glory before her now. The ornate designs in the fame and the perfection with which the glass was made spoke volumes. It would make her millions even if it would be difficult to take with her, yet as she reached for the mirror the door suddenly swung open. There in the frame stood the soaking witch, her long tangles of white hair hanging down the sides of her head, her crazed golden eyes speaking of madness, her jagged and crooked teeth, and her emaciated body terrified Nyma even before she found herself slammed to the wall by an invisible force.

“Thief!” The witch wailed pointing accusingly at Nyma as the force pushed down on her harder. “Thief! You’ve come to take it haven’t you? Well you won't have it! No one will except me! It’s mine!” She screeched as she stepped inside slamming the door shut as she looked around her room. “And even that wasn’t enough for you. Greedy, selfish little creature!” The witch screamed again and the force pressing down on Nyma came down harder than ever causing her to fear it would shatter her bones.

“I-I’m sorry-” Nyma managed to choke out between her gasp for air as the pressure made it harder and harder to breath. “I-I’ll give it all back, just please let me go!” She begged watching the witch's eyes turn stone cold.

“No. You’ll give it back but then you’ll return with your friends, if you have any. I know how this works.  _ ‘Burn the witch!’ _ ” she spoke mockingly venom dripping from every word as she laughed hysterically. “But no body’s going to burn this witch. No, no, nobody’s going to burn Haggar!” The witch howled as the force suddenly yanked Nyma forward until she was nearly inches away from the witch's face. She felt her bag ripped away and all its contents spilling out.

“P-please,” Nyma tried to beg again attempting futilely to struggle from the invisible forces hold. “I-I promise I’ll never come back and I won’t tell anyone what happened.”

_ “Liar,” _ the witch hissed before the force dropped Nyma to the ground. As she struggled for air and found herself unable to stand she realized the witch was dragging her to the door. She thought the witch intended to kill her outside and began to struggle feebly, but the witch had a grip like iron which shouldn’t be possible for a woman of her stature. The she stopped in front of the mirror.

_ “Selfish, greedy, lying little girl _ , _ ” _ she snarled before tossing Nyma closer to the mirror. “If you want it so badly then become a part of it! May you be bound body and soul to this mirror until you find someone to take your place!” The witch swore and as she did Nyma felt a sudden suction from behind, from the mirror. She screamed and wailed clawing at the floor, trying to prevent herself from being drawn in, but she could not fight it.

Lightning crashed overhead and the witches laughter echoed through the woods as the girls screams were swallowed up by the thunder. From that day on, none heard of Nyma in the neighboring towns and villages. Some rumoured, however, that she had been taken by the witch. All believed she was dead.


	2. Home

Even if it was technically different, the imagery still seemed to be the exact same. With his head leaning against the window the young boy watched the trees and houses go by in a blur. He has seen many roads like this, some in the country with more open pastures and trees, some up in the mountains with scattered pockets of civilization, some roads packed with towering sky scrapers along with all sorts of people walking around, and more often than not small suburban areas with cozy houses and tall pines and oaks.

The young boy was named Keith, and he is an orphan. He has seen so many places due to all the homes he’s been sent though. None of them ever seemed to last, whether it was Keith's fault or his foster “parents.” Sometimes his “parents” didn’t like him because he wasn’t “right.” They tried to “fix” him sometimes. Would send him to therapist and psychiatrist and even some “correctional behaviour” camps. He was never quite sure what it was about him they didn’t like, but it was always something about him that just didn’t fit their idea of what their child _should be._

Slowly he became jaded to the idea of finding a family. He gave up on trying to be nice to them or connect with them. Occasionally he would become out right aggressive. He would never hurt his new family, but as for some of the other kids at the schools he’d been to, he couldn’t say the same. It would seem his peers also thought something was wrong with him that needed “fixing,” but instead of trying to “correct” him they sought to ridicule him. Everywhere he went, whether it was his fault or not, he was called a “problem child” and when it got to be bad enough, Coran would take him away.

Coran had taken an interest in his case for some reason. He seemed to be the only one who really cared or stayed semi-constant in Keith's life. The weekly visits to see how he was doing, the long car ride together, and some of their sessions to discuss his health and how he was adjusting had managed to bring the two closer over the years they had known each other. It seemed Coran was one of the few people who could managed to see Keith's less volatile side.

As Keith sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that night, Coran turned down the music a little, glancing over at Keith worriedly before looking back at the road. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it as if reconsidering. Keith watched as Coran’s hands flexed, tightening around the steering wheel then loosening.

“If you want to say something just say it,” Keith uttered quietly.

“Just… I know this hasn’t been easy for you. It’s never easy for anyone. I know you want to give this all up, but …” Coran paused as the two pulled into a small town off the main road. “Please, just promise me you’ll give this a chance.”

“I always have given it a ‘chance’ and every time there’s always been something wrong.” Keith grumbled turning himself in the seat to face the window a bit more.

“You never know, maybe this could be the one.” Coran tried to argue, attempting to sound hopeful although it still held a slight air of defeat. “The two ladies seemed really nice when they came to visit and you know I hear they already have one boy living with them.”

“Great, so my new home is with two crazy antique collectors and their other mystery kid? Sounds like the perfect home for me,” Keith grumbled. Coran sighed again as they pulled into the driveway of what appeared to be a mix between an apartment and a store.

“Please, just give it three weeks. If you don’t like it we’ll try somewhere else.” Keith knew this trick as Coran had tried it on him many times before, the bargaining. “If you just give it three more days,” “just give it one more week,” “just one more month and maybe this will all blow over,” and many more phrases had often been said to Keith almost as often as “maybe this will be the one.” It seemed the only time he had an instant out of these “three month trial” families was if they were somehow abusive.  He felt like his head would split in two if he heard any of those phrases one more time.

“Fine, whatever,” Keith grumbled out quietly as he stepped out of the car. He took a moment to observe the oddity that was apparently to be his new home. There were huge display windows at the front with all sorts of ancient garbage, at least what Keith would consider garbage, on display for people to look at. Maybe even buy. _How absolutely fascinating. Another thing in the house to collect dust._ The boys thoughts dripped with sarcasm and annoyance as he assisted Coran in gathering up his meager belongings.

They had barely even made it through the front doors before a soft bell chimed and an exuberant voice called out, “welcome!” Keith took notice of the woman heading their way, dressed in an apron, a simple blouse, and jeans with her blonde hair up in a messy bun and her glasses resting precariously on the edge of her nose, she was somehow both _exactly_ what Keith had expected his crazy new “mother” to look like and also very different. She had a bright smile that could put the sun to shame and Keith could tell he’d (hate) greatly dislike this woman.

“I’m happy to see you both made it here safe,” she chattered as she took some of Keith’s bags from Coran. “I’ll take you to your room so you can settle in.”

“That would be great,” Coran replied with a smile before glancing at Keith. “I should head back. My boss has been blowing up my phone since I left, just remember I’m only a call away if you need me.” Keith let out a sigh, recalling all the times Corans phone had went off with that annoying little jingle seemingly every minute on the drive here. He knew Coran was right and that he had to go, but he still wished he’d stay. Even if it was just for a little bit longer.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a few moments to rest? Maybe even have some food? Shiro and Mira must be done with dinner by now,” the woman offered, her smile faltering to a concerned pout.

“Thank you for the offer Rae, but I really must be going. Boss will have my head if I keep her waiting any longer,” Coran explained apologetically. “I’ll be in touch soon. Take care Keith.”

“Be careful on the way back,” Keith uttered a quiet goodbye as Coran gave him a hug and left. Keith normally hated hugs, but just this once he figured he could allow it since he wouldn’t be seeing Coran for a while. With that goodbye, Coran left through the door and the bell chimed softly once more, though in a slightly different tone.

“Your rooms right this way,” Rae offered with a gentle nudge towards a set of stairs that somehow seemed even older than half the antiques in the house. The steps seemed determined to prove him right as they creaked and groaned in protest with every step Keith and Rae took. He was honestly surprised his foot didn’t break through one with a particularly bad crack that seemed ready to give at any moment.

As they made it to the second floor a sweet aroma hit Keith full force causing him to pause. Rae took noticed and smiled stopping on the first few steps leading to the third floor. Through a door frame, Keith could see into the Kitchen slightly. From what he could make out there was a tall ebony woman with a bandana wrapped around her voluminous hair trying to hold it down in place. Next to her was a tall muscular boy with black hair with a white poofy lock of hair that seemed to stick out from the rest. The two seemed to be cooking a rather large meal together and as Keith listened closer, he could make out the two singing some sort of folk song in a language he didn’t recognize.

“Ah my sweeties have the voices of angels don’t they?” Mused Rae as she sighed dreamily leaning in to watch with Keith. “I’d join ‘em if my own singing didn’t sound like an untuned violin.”

“What are they singing?” Keith asked as they resumed walking up the stairs to the third floor. “I couldn’t understand them.”

“An old folk song Mira picked up when she took a trip to Cameroon. She learned it from some of the indigenous people there, the baka’s I believe. It’s an old song about a woman who goes fishing and her baby is taken by a chimpanzee,” Rae explained before the two reached some sort of hatch.  It appeared the house was technically three stories, but it seemed the third floor was mostly an antique from what Keith could guess.

“Sounds morbid…” Keith commented as Rae managed to push the door open, carefully tossing up some of Keith’s bags before climbing up after them. Keith followed her not long after.

“Well the song does say the chimp is cursed for its mischievousness by one of the deities. It’s the Baka’s way of explaining why the monkeys stay in the trees mostly,” Rae explained as she moved some boxes and artifacts aside.

“They know that’s not true though right?” Keith questioned as he followed after her, trying not to sneeze or cough from the dust.

“Well, the story of _Little Red Riding Hood_ isn’t ‘true’ and neither is the story of _Peter Pan_ or _Pinocchio_ , but people still use them to teach morals and life lessons.” Rae looked back at Keith with a smile as she lead him to a wall that seemed to divide the attic in two with a door in the center. “I’m sorry your rooms in the attic and all, but it’s the best we can do for now until Mira and I can finish renovating the guest room.” As she opened the door and head inside, Keith soon followed after and looked around as he set his bags down.

The room was definitely not the smallest he’d been crammed into, in fact it may be one of the larger ones. It was clear that in here, unlike the rest of the attic, there had been some cleaning and adjusting done. Keith had his own ancient bed, ancient drawers, ancient desk and even an ancient mirror. He isn’t sure what else he expected from the crazy antique collector ladies. Even so he remembers Corans request for him to “give it a chance” and swallows whatever sarcastic remarks he may have.

“Sorry you’ll be using this old stuff for a while,” Rae apologized. “Mira and I are still waiting on your new furniture and we thought it’d be silly to bring it up in the attic when you won’t be staying up here for long. In fact your new furniture should have arrived before you, but I guess somethin’ went screwy with the transportation.”

“It’s fine,” Keith uttered quietly starting to unpack his bags.

“You can come down to eat whenever you’re ready,” Rae mentioned, smiling warmly at him one last time before turning to the door. “Take as long as you need.” As she left Keith then decided to lay on the old bed and stare at the ceiling for a good few minutes,contemplating his new home. What would this new family be like and what surprises would they have in store for him?


	3. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight spoops at the start and domestic fluff/comedy later. Enjoy. ^^

Keith knew he could not just stay in his room the entire time, he just did not want to leave the safety and quiet of his room any sooner than he had to. He had already unpacked his few belongings, so he could not use that as an excuse if they came to check on him. He had already lied awake on the bed for what felt like a minute, but when he looked at the clock he saw it had been about half an hour. The overwhelmingly alluring smell coming from downstairs was starting to gnaw at him, steadily making him realize just how hungry he was. With a soft sigh, he gave up his task of staring at the ceiling trying to wish himself away from this place and sat up.

It was then he noticed a sensation like he was being watched. He glanced at the door to see if one of his new “family” members had come to retrieve him, but there was no one there. He glanced around the room wondering if he would see some unknown family pet that was trapped in his room or maybe a creepy doll, but instead he saw no one. Then he saw the antique mirror and felt his heart skip a beat.

He did not see someone or some monstrosity lying under the bed or lurking behind him. He did not see anything in the mirror aside from his reflection. The thing that concerned him, was his reflection was still lying down. He watched as his reflection slowly sat up, then looked to the door, then around the room even though he was not moving. Then his reflection finally seemed to catch up to him in the moment since he had not moved in a while, and he saw his own fear reflected in the icy eyes of the mirror.

He didn’t remember standing up or running across the room. The only thing that jolted him back to reality was when he slammed the door to his room shut with a loud bang. His heart was pounding in his chest and ice was slogging through his veins. His mind raced trying to rationalize what he just saw, eventually settling on him being tired and his eyes playing tricks on him. With that comfort he took a few deep breaths to slow his racing heart and closed his eyes as the sound of his pounding heart grew quieter in his ears and he was able to hear again.

“Keith?” Rae’s concerned voice called from below. “Is everything okay sweetie? Did you knock something over?”

“I-I’m fine, I didn’t knock anything over,” he called back. “I’ll be down in a second.” He took a moment to compose himself before continuing through the attic, trying to focus more on his feet and not tripping over anything than whatever else was in the room his mind could use to spook him with. He slowly made his way down the stairs, then to the kitchen. He had seen a dining table in the kitchen earlier.

In the room he saw Rae, crumbs and grease staining the corners of her mouth and her cheeks puffed up as she was clearly in the process of gorging herself on the food in front of her. She smiled and waved Keith over, unable to speak as she chewed. He obliged and headed over slowly taking his seat. He took the time to examine his other two “family” members.

Across from Rae was the ebony woman he had seen earlier. Now that he had a chance to have a better look at her, he could see she had the look of a hardworking person. Her hands were big and likely calloused, showing some old cuts and bruises and while it was clear she had cleaned herself up, under her apron her outfit showed many stains that likely came from dirt or mud. Despite her rugged exterior, she seemed to carry herself with grace, eating a bit more calmly and mannerly than Rae. She was certainly not making nearly as much of a mess, which seemed ironic to Keith considering Rae looked to be the cleaner of the two, but her sloppy eating compared with Mira’s seemed to state otherwise.

Next to Mira was the boy he had seen earlier. One of the first things that caught his attention was a scar running across the boys nose. He noted that the boy looked nothing like the two women whom he lived with and assumed that he must have been adopted too as there was no way one of these women were his biological mother. He seemed strong judging by his physical build and his eyes seemed surprisingly kind. Keith was jolted out of his analysis when the other boy, Shiro he recalled, handed him a plate loaded with food.

“You should eat while it’s still warm.” Shrio spoke softly and resumed eating after Keith slowly picked up his fork and started to pick at the food.

“You were up there for quite a long time, is everything alright?” Mira questioned between bites.

“Yeah… just unpacking,” Keith explained quietly. Rae then tried to speak, but it was very difficult to understand her with that much food in her mouth. “Rae, you’re making a mess,” Mira chided pouting a little. “You should try and set a good example for the boys and not talk with your mouth full.” Rae somehow managed to swallow enough of the food so that her cheeks no longer resembled that of a chipmunk with ten to many acorns in it’s mouth. Now it was a little more like five to many.

“I was tryin’ to say tha’ maybe we could tak’ Keef shopping so he coul’ get som’ ‘tuff for his room—,” Rae then began to cough and covered her mouth with her napkin. Mira sighed softly as well as Shiro and Keith figured this must be a rather regular occurrence around meal time if they weren’t worried about Rae choking to death.

“That’s what you get for trying to eat  so much all at once and talking,” Shiro commented as he pat Rae’s back softly to try and help her dislodge whatever was caught in her throat. “Though that does sound like a good idea, maybe we could get Keith some stuff to personalize his room with.”

“I don’t want to bother you with that,” Keith uttered quietly. “Probably won’t be here long anyway…” Of course that was the moment where Rae finally stopped coughing and the trio gave him a concerned look.

“Sweetie, I know you’ve been through a lot of homes…” Mira started to say trying to console him, “but we promise this’ll be different.”

“It won’t be,” Keith spoke softly not so much eating anymore as he was just nudging the food around with his fork, his empty stomach now seemingly filled with the weight of his sorrow. “Sooner or later something will happen and you’ll want to be rid of me…”

“Really now?” Shiro asked a small smile tugging at his lips. “So what’s your big secret shame then? As you can see, we put up with Rae’s horrible table manners, so unless you had a body in one of those bags I doubt there’s much you could do make us want to be rid of you.” Rae opened her mouth to say something likely in protest then resumed coughing again.

“Shiro’s right sweetie,” Mira said with a smile. “There’s nothing that could make us want to give you up.”

“Why me though?” Keith questioned clenching the fork a little tightly. “You could have chosen any other kid, why me?” Rae managed to catch her breath and stop coughing and as she wiped her mouth with the napkin she turn to Keith smiling brightly.

“Because you’re the one that needed us the most,” she didn’t talk down to him and she did not make it sound like she pitied him. Keith wasn’t sure what to do with that. Every other family he’d been with had either treated him like an idiotic child just going through a “phase” or took him because they pitied him and wanted to virtue signal how “good” they were for taking in “the problem child.”

When Rae, Shiro, and Mira spoke to him however, he didn’t detect any contempt or “holier than thou” attitude. He didn’t feel as if they took him in just to show off what good people they were. In fact it almost seemed like they really did genuinely care for him. Like they really wanted to integrate him into their family, but they wanted/knew to give him some space and time to adjust.

It seemed to ease Keith’s discomfort slightly and made the depression lessen. His hunger returned and Keith began to eat again, his concerns put to rest for now. He honestly just didn’t know what else to day and it seemed the others understood that as they resumed eating as well, chattering occasionally.

Keith didn’t contribute much to the talk, still unwilling to open up fully to the strangers, but he did listen in. He listened to Rae’s stories about “weirdos” that came into the shop. One tale in particular catching his attention about one idiot that came in with a “old coin” that was actually just a really dirty and slightly smashed bottle cap, but the man was determined to convince Rae it was a old coin and that it was worth “millions.”

Mira shared some stories about her journey in Cameroon with some members of the Baka. She told stories about their long walks in search for food, some of the friends she had made, and one particular story of when she had tried to contribute to the tribe by assisting them in gathering some honey. She explained that honey was a very rare and favorite treat for the Baka and it was exceptionally hard to acquire and very dangerous.

“The bees build their hives high up the trees, some of the people died falling from the trees in the past trying to get the honey,” Mira explained. Rae was biting at her nails anxiously as she listened, while Shiro just watched Mira with respect and awe.

“So clearly you got the honey just fine right?” Shiro asked.

“Eventually,” Mira replied with a smile. “It takes hours to climb the trees. I had to use a vine to hold myself to the tree and an axe to cut footholds. By the time I reached the top it was almost morning.”

“When did you start climbing?” Keith questioned, speaking up for the first time in a while.

“About midnight,” Mira replied. “The bees were still pretty out of it and I used some of the plants the Baka gave me to light a small fire and smoke the bees. Apparently the plant had some sort of toxin that makes the bees really loopy and unable to sting. I set up a pretty shoddy pulley system, but it got the job done. They sent some baskets up, I filled it with honey and comb from the hive sending it back down.”

“Uwah,” Rae whined covering her face. “That’s so dangerous Mira! I told you I didn’t want you doing things like that! And the bees! What if it didn’t work and they stung you or something and you fell?”

“Mom come on,” Shiro commented laughing softly as he rubbed Rae’s back soothing. “She’s fine, she made it home alright.”

“But what if she didn’t?” Rae questioned as she pouted and crossed her arms. “What am I supposed to do then?”

“Darling I’m fine and I promise not to do anything else dangerous,” Mira laughed quietly and smiled reaching across the table to take one of Rae’s hands in hers. That seemed to calm Rae down a bit and it brought about a feeling in Keith he was unfamiliar with. He wasn’t exactly disgusted or anything, in fact he thought this was maybe the feeling most children have when they see their parents being affectionate?

“Alright, you two go get a room,” Shiro joked rising from his chair and gathering up everyone's plates as they had all finished dinner a while ago. “I’ll do the dishes tonight.”

“I’ll help,” Keith offered. Normally he’d take any opportunity to go back to his room and be alone, but he wanted to be helpful since they had been kind to him thus far.

“No, you had a long drive here. You should go rest,” Shiro commented carrying the plates to the sink and starting the water. “We’ll put you to work later,” he joked.

“Hm, Shiro’s right. We’ll need to work Keith into the chart,” Mira commented as she got up with Rae.

“Ugh, does that mean we have to reschedule everyone's chores again?” Rae whined.

“Oh please,” Mira laughed leading Rae out of the kitchen. “The last time we did that was when we got Shiro and that was years ago!”

“But still it was such a pain,” Rae continued to argue. Before the two went too far, they called out their goodnights to the boys who replied in kind.

“So they adopted you too?” Keith asked glancing at Shiro who was starting to scrub the dishes clean.

“Yup, a few years ago back when I was around your age. That’s a story for a ngiht when you’re not this tired though,” Shiro commented glancing over his shoulder at Keith with a smile.

“I’m not—” before he could even finish his sentence Keith yawned. “... Fine, but I’m holding you to that,” he conceded a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Of course, now get to bed or do I need to carry you?” Shiro continued to banter.

“Absolutely not,” Keith remarked quickly. “Goodnight,” he uttered softly as he began to head back to the stairs. Shiro called out a goodnight as he continued to do the dishes.

By the time Keith made it back to his new room his exhaustion was winning out. He didn’t even think of the strange occurrences with the mirror earlier. He simply laid down and fell asleep before his head even touched the pillow.


	4. Oddities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school for Keith after having some time to adjust to his new home and "family." Of course it's just his luck that he is matched up with the two odd ones out of the school when he arrives. The mirror also seems to be upping the weirdness and it is becoming harder to ignore the strange happenings.

A few days had passed since Keiths first night in his new home and not much else had occurred. He managed to ignore the incident with the mirror for the most part, just accepting the slow reflections as a regular occurrence and moved on with his life. True to their word, Mira, Rae, and Shiro dragged him to a store and helped him pick out some decorations and furniture for his room. They also added him to the chore list, though he would not have to do much at the start as they were “showing him the ropes.” In his time through many different homes, Keith learned everyone had their own way of cleaning and “keeping the peace” and it seemed the Shirogane family was no different.

They rotated chores weekly so no one person was stuck with all the work. They had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together every day. They all helped out in the shop when needed, whether it be cleaning the artifacts or manning the register. Essentially, they all worked as a close family. There seemed to be an unspoken family rule that whenever one member needed something, the others would always come to help.

At first Keith struggled with the adjustment, finding it a little annoying to seemingly be at their beck and call whenever they needed him, but he found that unlike other relationships he’d been in a long time ago, these relationships were give and take. When he helped them, they’d just as easily turn around and assist him. He could see how they all as a whole benefited from this relationship, especially when it came to the shop downstairs. Afterall, once they earned enough cash to cover bills and food, the rest was fun money for the whole family.

He learned this worked out in a semi-rotation like the chores. Each family member could keep any tips a customer left specifically for them and each family member received an equal share of the extra money. That is, what was left after the “family” activity. The family activity varied depending on whose turn it was to choose what the activity was. That was what worked on rotation. It was in order to make sure no one person never got to go where they wanted. Mira on her turn took them all to see a scary movie, Shiro planned for them to go to an amusement park, Rae planned for them to go a town over for a weekend and do some sightseeing at a local festival, and then in a few weeks it would be Keith's turn. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for his turn, but he had plenty of time to decide.

The only thing that would complicate any plans he may have is school starting soon. He would be joining Shiro at Nova High. He wasn’t looking forward to it as most of his experiences with school had been less than pleasant, but Shiro, Mira, and Rae assured him that they would be there for him. “I’m just down the hall” and “we’re only a call away” they assured him. Keith actually managed to find himself taking comfort in that.

When he awoke the first day he was supposed to go to class, he had a feeling like someone was watching him, but when he looked around his now more familiar room, he saw nothing. So he tried his best to push the feeling aside and blame it on nervousness as he dressed and gathered up his things. He didn’t have time to start worrying before he even made it through the doors.

“Keith? You need to hurry if you want to have breakfast before we have to go!” Shiro called up.

“I’m coming!” Keith replied as he grabbed his bag and then his brush, planing on just quickly trying to tame his unruly locks of hair before sprinting downstairs for a meal. He managed to brush out most of the tangles and style his hair in the mirror before he noticed something odd out of his peripheral vision.

It looked like there was someone behind him. He couldn't make out much in the reflection aside from dark blue eyes and brown hair and that the figure was male. Definitely not one of his new family members. Startled he dropped the brush and turned to face the intruder.

“What are you—” he started to yell only to turn and see no one there. He looked around the room then at the mirror, but there was no one there. His heart was racing and he could still feel the sensation of someone staring him down.

“Keith? We’re gonna be late!” Shiro warned. Despite everything in him telling him not to, Keith tried to forget about the stranger, blaming it once again on nerves and his imagination as he ran downstairs. “Are you alright?” Shiro asked worriedly noticing the frazzled look of the teen. You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” he joked trying to lighten the mood as he handed Keith a plastic bag filled with cereal. “Breakfast is gonna have to be on the go since you took a while,” Shiro explained as he lead Keith out to the card, barely pausing to let him catch his breath. Keith allowed himself to be herded into the car and a few moments to catch his breath and start eating a little before answering some of Shiro’s questions.

“I just had a bad dream and overslept a little,” Keith lied as he looked out the window watching the buildings and trees going by. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Shiro smiled at him reassuringly as he spoke. “I know I had my fair share of nightmares when I first moved in, especially on the first day of school. Just remember what we said, we’re here for you if you need us.”

The pulled up to the school not long after and it was honestly one of the nicest schools Keith had been sent to during his time of being passed around from house to house. There was a sculpture of the solar system out in the front with the planets all orbiting the sun in the middle. Beneath the structure was some water and Keith realized it was all a part of some complex fountain system.

The campus, from what he could see as Shiro and he exited the car, was huge with a nice library, gymnasium, and several “main” building sections connected by pathways emanating from the fountain. The fountain and fields by the gymnasium seemed to be a popular spot for people to gather as he could see many small groups, chattering, studying, or just having fun. Surprisingly, the vibe he received from this school was overall positive and he almost felt welcomed.

“Pidge, Hunk!” Shiro called with a smile waving over two of the students. The first, Keith assumed was Pidge, wore glasses and had short, shoulder length, light brown hair, brown eyes, and a kind smile. They seemed to have a somewhat nerdy air about them, just going off the glasses and the piles and piles of books and papers they were not just carrying in their arms, but had also apparently stuffed into their backpack.

The second, Hunk presumably, was a rather large fellow. He had a jovial smile, brown eyes, dark brown hair, and carried him in a way that reminded Keith of a “gentle giant.” He was not overly loud to draw attention to himself and did not take up more space than he needed, clearly being considerate of the others around him. He also seemed to have a nerdy air about him, this time noticeable by the robotics gear poking out of his backpack.

“Keith, this is Pidge and Hunk. They’re your classmates and my friends. I asked them to help you out with adjusting to Nova,” Shiro explained.

_ Great, setting me up with the odd ones out who are clearly easy targets for bullying? What a spectacular idea, what better way to speed up the process of my bullying than to pair me up with two people likely already having their lives made hell by the local meat heads? _ Despite his thoughts Keith forced what he figured would be a convincing smile, but judging by Pidge and Hunks expressions he wasn’t succeeding.

“Is something wrong with your face?” Pidge asked bluntly. Keith stopped trying to smile, letting his typical scowl settle back on his face, which felt far more comfortable. “That’s better, rule number one for the friend group Keithy, no BS.”

“BS? You mean bull—” Keith was cut off by hunk.

“Bad supplanting,” Hunk quickly interjected. “As in, no replacing your real personality and feelings with fake crap. That makes for terrible friendships.” Hunks smile never left him as he explained.  _ Yeah right _ , Keith thought sarcastically knowing fairly well just where they actually got BS from.

“Alright so no filter, got it,” Keith replied.

“Alright  you three play nice and make sure you get to class on time,” Shiro ordered playfully shoving them towards one of the buildings.

“Alright freshie, let’s go before the sharks notice you,” Pidge commanded already turning to head inside, Hunk not far behind. Before Keith could follow Shiro stopped him one last time to remind him that he was just down the hall and Mira and Rae were only a call away. Then after bidding him farewell, Shiro walked to a different entrance to another building. Not wanting to be left behind, Keith said his goodbyes then followed Pidge and Hunk inside.


End file.
